Structure of Bucket Tooth for Construction Tools

ABSTRACT

An improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools includes an adapter and a bucket tooth mounted on the adapter. The adapter has an accommodating room and a fixing section. Both side of the bucket tooth have a hole, respectively. An engaging unit is disposed at the accommodating room and the fixing section of the adapter and between the holes of the bucket tooth. The engaging unit includes a lock, an elastic element, and a fixing element. The end of the lock protruding from the accommodating room has an outer angle facing the fixing part to urge against the inner angle in the corresponding hole of the bucket tooth. The lock can thus position the bucket tooth on the adapter and maintains no impact gap between them. When the engaging unit loses its effect, the fixing element prevents the bucket tooth from falling off the adapter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to an improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools and, in particular, to an improved structure with an engaging mechanism to prevent bucket tooth from falling off an adapter.

2. Related Art

Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,043 for a conventional bucket tooth structure for construction tools. As shown in FIG. 16 therein (here we use the same numerals and terms for elements in that patent for the convenience of explanation), locks 175 are provided on an adapter 13. The adapter 13 is mounted with a point 12. Both sides of the point 12 have a hole 145, respectively. Each of the holes 145 has a bearing face 151. The lock 175 corresponding has another bearing face 218. With this configuration, the bearing face 218 of each lock 175 blocks at the bearing face 151 of the hole 145 when installing the point 12, thereby positioning the point 12 at the adapter 13. However, when the bucket tooth of a construction tool starts to dig, the interior of the adapter 13 start to have a gap under the impact of the points 12. In this case, the relative displacement between the adapter 13 and the point 21 increases. Therefore, when digging, the bearing face 151 of the hole 145 is likely to urge against the bearing face 218 of the lock 175. The lock 175 thus retracts. This is likely to let the point 12 depart from the adapter 13 unexpectedly, resulting in danger.

The bucket tooth structure has locks 175 on the adapter 13 corresponding to both sides of the point 12. Each of the locks 175 needs a holding tool to retract in order to take out the point 12. However, during a digging process, dirt dug out from the ground is likely to accumulate between the points. The digging force tends to make dirt and pebbles to press the locks 175. Therefore, the points 12 are likely to fall off from the adapter 13 unexpectedly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the invention is to provide an improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools. When the bucket tooth in the adapter produce a gap due to impacts, the lock of an engaging unit slides by the outer angle thereof and the inner angle of a hole, so that the gap of the bucket tooth in the adapter is kept within an allowed range. This mechanism prevents the relative displacement between the bucket tooth and the adapter from increasing during a digging process. It further prevents a displacement of the bucket tooth to push the locks into the adapter, thereby solving the problem of the bucket tooth falling off the adapter.

Another objective of the invention is to use the blocking section of a fixing element to block the bucket tooth on the other side of the lock when the lock of the engaging unit is pressed by dirt and pebbles into the adapter. Therefore, the bucket tooth is still positioned on the adapter. This solves the problem that the bucket tooth may unexpectedly fall off the adapter when the engaging unit is not effective.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the invention includes: an adapter, a bucket tooth, and an engaging unit.

The adapter has a fixing part to be fixed on a bucket. The fixing part has an insertion part on the end away from the bucket. One side of the insertion part has an accommodating room, and the other side has a fixing section. The accommodating room and the fixing section are connected and connect to the exterior, so that the accommodating room and the fixing section are horizontally through the insertion part.

One end of the bucket tooth has a slot with a corresponding shape to the insertion part of the adapter. Both sides of the bucket tooth have a hole, respectively. The holes are opposite to each other and in communications with the slot. The bucket tooth is mounted on the insertion part of the adapter via the slot.

The engaging unit is disposed at the accommodating room and the fixing section of the adapter, corresponding to the holes of the bucket tooth. The bucket tooth can thus be connected to and fixed on the adapter. The engaging unit includes a lock, an elastic element, and a fixing element.

The lock is inserted in the accommodating room of the insertion part. One end of the lock protrudes from the accommodating room and correspondingly goes into one of the holes. The end of the lock in the accommodating room has a recess to accommodate the elastic element. One end of the elastic element urges against the lock, and the other end urges against the bottom surface of the accommodating room.

Each of the holes has an inner angle toward the opening of the slot. The lock has an outer angle on the end protruding from the accommodating room and toward the fixing part. The outer angle urges against the inner angle of the hole of the bucket tooth. The depth of the outer angle is smaller than the inner angle. There is an elastic space between the other side of lock than the outer angle and the inner wall of the hole of the bucket tooth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of the assembled bucket according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the bucket tooth according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of initial positioning of the disclosed bucket tooth;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing that the disclosed bucket tooth has an impact during a digging process;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a sliding adjustment in the lock;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of positioning after the sliding adjustment; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing that the blocking section of the fixing element blocks the bucket tooth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.

The invention provides an improved structure of the bucket tooth for construction tools. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of the invention includes: an adapter 1, a bucket tooth 2, and an engaging unit 3.

The adapter 1 has a fixing part 11 through which the adapter 1 is pinched at the front edge of a bucket A. A soldering procedure connects the fixing part 11 to the bucket A.

The end of the fixing part 11 away from the bucket A has an insertion part 12. One side of the insertion part 12 has an accommodating room 121, and the other side has a fixing section 122. The accommodating room 121 and the fixing section 122 are connected and connect to the exterior, so that the accommodating room 121 and the fixing section 122 are horizontally through the insertion part 11.

One end of the bucket tooth 2 has a slot 21 with a corresponding shape to the insertion part 12 of the adapter 1. Both sides of the bucket tooth 2 have a hole 22, respectively. The holes 22 are opposite to each other and in communications with the slot 21. The bucket tooth 2 is mounted on the insertion part 12 of the adapter 1 via the slot 21.

The engaging unit 3 is disposed at the accommodating room 121 and the fixing section 122 of the adapter, corresponding to the holes 22 of the bucket tooth 2. The bucket tooth 2 can thus be connected to and fixed on the adapter 1.

The engaging unit includes a lock 31, an elastic element 32, and a fixing element 33. The lock 31 is inserted in the accommodating room 121 of the insertion part 12. One end of the lock 31 protrudes from the accommodating room 121 and correspondingly goes into one of the holes 22. The end of the lock 31 in the accommodating room 121 has a recess 311 to accommodate the elastic element 32. One end of the elastic element 32 urges against the lock 31, and the other end urges against the bottom surface of the accommodating room 121.

The fixing element 33 has a positioning section 331 and a blocking section 332. The positioning section 331 of the fixing element 33 goes through the fixing section 122 of the insertion part 12. The blocking section 332 is positioned in the other hole 22 of the bucket tooth 2.

In this embodiment, the elastic element 32 is a stretching spring. Besides, the elastic element 32 can be replaced by urethane. Moreover, the surrounding of the lock 31 is mounted with at least one blocking ring 312 to prevent impurities from entering the recess 311 of the lock 31 via the gap between the lock 31 and the accommodating room 121.

Each of the holes 22 has an inner angle 23 toward the opening of the slot 21. The lock 31 has an outer angle 313 on the end protruding from the accommodating room 121 and toward the fixing part 11. The outer angle 313 urges against the inner angle 23 of the hole 22 of the bucket tooth 2. The depth of the outer angle 313 is smaller than the inner angle 23.

When assembling the adapter 1 and the bucket tooth 2, a pinching tool (not shown) is used to first press the lock 31 into the accommodating room 121 of the insertion part 12, followed by mounting the slot 21 of the bucket tooth 2 on the insertion part 12 of the adapter 1. The part of the lock 31 in the slot 21 first urges against the inner surface of the slot 21 of the bucket tooth 2 before the pinching tool is released. The slot 21 of the bucket tooth 2 is mounted on the insertion part 12 of the adapter 1. In this case, the lock 31 corresponds to the hole 22 on one side of the bucket tooth 2. The lock 31 is pushed by the elastic force of the elastic element 32 to protrude into the corresponding hole 22. The positioning section 331 of the fixing element 33 is then connected to the fixing section 122 of the insertion part. The blocking section 332 of the fixing element 33 goes into the hole 22 on the other side, thereby positioning the bucket tooth 2 on the adapter 1. On the other hand, to take off the bucket tooth 2 from the adapter 1, a pinching tool is used to press the lock 31 into the accommodating room 121 of the insertion part 12 via the hole 22. The lock 31 is made to urge against the inner surface of the slot 21 of the bucket tooth 2. The positioning section 331 of the fixing element 33 is released from the fixing section 122 of the insertion part 12. In the end, the pinching tool is released for the bucket tooth 2 to escape from the adapter 1.

Please refer to FIG. 3. The drawing shows the initial positions of the outer angle 313 of the lock 31 and the inner angle 23 of the bucket tooth 2 when the bucket tooth 2 is assembled to the adapter 1. Due to the urging of the lock 31, there is no sliding gap between the adapter 1 and the bucket tooth 2.

However, when impacts occur to the bucket tooth 2 during a digging process, as shown in FIG. 4, the bucket tooth 2 moves toward the adapter 1. In this case, the lock 31 is pushed by the elastic element 32 to protrude outward, as shown in FIG. 5, until the gap between the bucket tooth 2 and the adapter 1 shortens. As shown in FIG. 6, the bucket tooth 2 is blocked because the inner angle 23 is supported by the outer angle 313 of the lock 3. Therefore, when a gap between the bucket tooth 2 and the adapter 1 is produced due to an impact, the lock 31 is pushed by the elastic element 32 to slide on the inner angle 23 of the bucket tooth 2 with the outer angle 313 thereof The gap is maintained within an allowed range, without increasing the relative displacement of the bucket tooth 2 in the adapter 1.

Moreover, the other side of the lock 31 than the outer angle 313 has an elastic space with the inner wall of the hole 22 of the bucket tooth 2. This prevents the bucket tooth 2 directly hit the preserved space of the lock 3 during a digging process, as the outer angle 313 of the lock 3 slides along the inner angle 23 of the bucket tooth 2.

As shown in FIG. 7, the fixing element 33 is connected to the fixing section 122 of the insertion part 12 via the positioning section 331 thereof The blocking section of the fixing element 33 goes into the hole 22. When the lock 31 is pressed by dirt and pebbles into the adapter 1 during a digging process, the blocking section 332 of the fixing element 33 prevents the bucket tooth 2 from departing in the hole 22. Therefore, the bucket 2 is still positioned on the adapter 1.

According to the above description, the invention has the following advantages:

1. During a digging process, when the bucket tooth 2 has an impact with the adapter 1, the lock 31 pushes outwards. The outer angle 313 urges against the inner angle 23 to block the bucket tooth 2. The gap between the bucket tooth 2 and the adapter 1 is maintained within an allowed range. Therefore, the relative displacement between the adapter 1 and the bucket tooth 2 is small. This prevents the bucket tooth 2 from pushing the lock 31 into the adapter 1 due to a relative displacement. Thus, the problem of the bucket tooth 2 falling off the adapter 1 is solved.

2. The blocking section 332 of the fixing element 33 can block the bucket tooth 2 in the hole 22. When the lock is pressed by dirt and pebbles dig out during a digging process, the lock loses its effect of blocking the bucket tooth 2, the blocking section 332 can still block the bucket tooth 2. The bucket tooth 2 is still positioned on the adapter 1. This solves the problem that the bucket tooth 2 may fall off the adapter 1 when the engaging unit 3 is ineffective.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent to people skilled in the art. Therefore, it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention. 

1. An improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools, comprising: an adapter having a fixing part to be fixed on a bucket, wherein the end of the fixing part away from the bucket has an insertion part whose one side has an accommodating room and whose other side has a fixing section, with the accommodating room and the fixing section connected and connecting to the exterior, thereby penetrating horizontally through the insertion part; a bucket tooth having a slot on one end with a shape corresponding to the insertion part of the adapter and a hole on both sides thereof, respectively, wherein each of the holes are opposite to each other and connected to the slot and the bucket tooth is mounted on the insertion part of the adapter via the slot; and an engaging unit disposed at the accommodating room and the fixing section of the adapter and between the holes of the bucket tooth for the bucket tooth to be mounted and positioned on the adapter, the engaging unit including a lock, an elastic element, and a fixing element; wherein the lock is inserted in the accommodating room of the insertion part; one end of the lock protrudes from the accommodating room and correspondingly goes into one of the holes; the end of the lock in the accommodating room has a recess to accommodate the elastic element; one end of the elastic element urges against the lock, and the other end urges against the bottom surface of the accommodating room; each of the holes has an inner angle toward the opening of the slot; the lock has an outer angle on the end protruding from the accommodating room and toward the fixing part; the outer angle urges against the inner angle of the hole of the bucket tooth; the depth of the outer angle is smaller than the inner angle; and an elastic space is formed between the other side of lock than the outer angle and the inner wall of the hole of the bucket tooth.
 2. The improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools of claim 1, wherein the fixing element has a positioning section and a blocking section with the positioning section going into the fixing section of the insertion part and the blocking section being positioned in one of the holes of the bucket tooth.
 3. The improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools of claim 1, wherein the elastic element is a stretching spring.
 4. The improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools of claim 1, wherein the elastic element is urethane.
 5. The improved structure of bucket tooth for construction tools of claim 1, wherein the surrounding of the lock is mounted with at least one blocking ring. 